Describing a material or substance whose properties change depending on the direction in which you measure them.
From Greek aiolos (changeable, variable) + tropos (direction, turning). This scientific term emerged in the 19th century to describe materials like crystals that don't behave uniformly in all directions.
Wood is aeolotropic—it bends and absorbs water differently along the grain than across it, which is why old floorboards cup and warp unpredictably. Nature loves this trick for building stronger structures with less material.
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